It does feel like there is likely a major market correction coming, but due to limited inventory of vacation-rentable units in Maui I feel like I should be somewhat more protected from the effects of said recession.

And he can purchase the property himself from the defaulting borrower, or purchase a (majority) ownership in the subject property.  

If FNMA, FNMA allows transfer of deed to LLC if mortgage originated after June 1, 2016 and original borrower owns a majority interest in the LLC and any 12 months of owner-occupancy is first met:https://servicing-guide.fanniemae.com/THE-SERVICING-GUIDE/Part-D-Providing-Solutions-to-a-Borrower/Subpart-D1-Assisting-the-Borrower-with-Property-Related/Chapter-D1-4-Transfers-of-Ownership/Section-D1-4-1-Information-Relating-to-Transfers-of-Owner/D1-4-1-02-Allowable-Exemptions-Due-to-the-Type-of-Transfer/1041300841/D1-4-1-02-Allowable-Exemptions-Due-to-the-Type-of-Transfer-09-09-2020.htm

I'm a carpenter / contractor by trade, and I've done a few major whole-house renovations of personal homes over the last decade or so.  

Technology is a good partner the more you know on your own.You should make a list of areas you might be interested in first - maybe you lived there or have friends there, you always wanted to go there - and then compare that list to some best areas list, do some of your own research, and then use a major data tool to look.

Great to see so many Canadians on here.I’ve been living in the US for a while, so I’m not too familiar with REI up north.Are there any major barriers to a Canadian investing in the US?

Population is growing and the job market is strong (major employers developing like Intel, Amazon, Meta, etc.)

I will say this short term sacrifice can lead to major long term gains.  

This can be a city or neighborhood.We manage a lot of Class C properties in the City of Detroit, so previous evictions are common.We typically do NOT allow within the last 3 years and we want to see stable employment, income and no other major credit issues since.For Class B rental we're looking for no evictions in last 5 years.Class A, would be at least 7 years.Of course, there are exceptions to all of the above for extenuating circumstances the applicant is willing to provide acceptable documentation for.

It creates a problem when selling the property as no one who wanted to live in the house would buy it, and your buyer pool for this property would be majority investors.